News Story

Players Are Finding Free Copies Of StarCraft II Sitting In Their Battle.net Clients

Haven't launched Battle.net in a little while? Whether you're burned out on Hearthstone, taking a break from Overwatch before the next event or done with Diablo III's anniversary, fire it up. There might be something waiting for you. They're giving away Starcraft II.

Sure, a good deal of us play some form of Blizzard game through it these days. They've enticed a whole new audience with things like Overwatch and Hearthstone lately. Maybe even the MOBA crew if they're fine using characters from key Blizzard franchises they don't know about.

But now that we think about it, this could be the reason for Blizzard's newest stunt. Players logging into their Battle.net client lately have reported a free copy of StarCraft II sitting in their library without much warning. There's been no build-up or press release for phenomenon, but Blizzard have confirmed to PCGamesN that this surprise gift is indeed just that.

StarCraft II is the sequel to one of the defining moments of RTS history. It's popularity as an eSport was eventually overshadowed by the return of the MOBA and competitive shooters, but it's still getting regular tournaments all over the world. Granted, this is purely a free copy of the base StarCraft II title 'Wings of Liberty' with a story that arches into the paid expansions 'Heart of the Swarm' and 'Legacy of the Void' - so Blizzard are likely hoping you'll pick those up along the way.

It's a welcome free gift and certainly a game anyone with a slight interest in RTS titles should play regardless of its free or paid state. Even if you're gunning for a Grand Master place in Ranked play, the arcade and story modes are easily worth the asking price. There's no set criteria for the giveaway, so all we can suggest is launching Battle.net to see if you've earned it.